Statement of the Human Rights Center Regarding the Situation in Georgian Penitentiary System

Human Rights Center has been reporting about alarming situation in Georgian custodies for many years. Almost every report of the organization revealed facts of prisoners’ torture and inhuman treatment. These facts were reflected in the reports of the US State Department, Human Rights Watch and other authoritative international organizations. Despite that, on September 18, video-footage aired by TV-companies Maestro and T V 9, which showed facts of prisoners’ torture and inhuman treatment, exceeded all expectations.

The videos demonstrated how the personnel of the Gldani prison, senior officers of the custody and penitentiary department among them, torture prisoners. The scenes of rape and inhuman, degrading treatment of prisoners astonished every citizen of Georgia who respects human and his/her fundamental rights.

Human Rights Center declares that shocking images spread on September 18 proved existence of inhuman regime that is governing not only the penitentiary system but entire law enforcement system of the country and everybody is fully aware of it.

We believe it was only small part of the cruelty committed by representatives of every layer of the government which we saw on TV. We think these shocking facts must be discussed jointly because it was not first case. It was logic continuation of inhuman dispersals of peaceful demonstrations of November 7, 2007, May 26, 2011, partiality of judiciary system and prosecutor’s office, zero tolerance, cruel murders of Sandro Girgvliani and many others, non-transparency of state institutions, endless listening of citizens, complete negligence of human rights and other many problems. Human rights organizations have been complaining about these problems for a long time.

Human Rights Center believes it is not enough to resign only executors of these crimes or their punishment under the criminal law. The problem, which became urgent today, was not a single case or one separate malfeasance. It is systemic problem and it can be resolved only through complex measures.

Due to abovementioned circumstances, we appeal to the government of Georgia to set up special, independent and impartial investigative commission, whose members must be Public Defender of Georgia and authoritative human rights nongovernmental organizations. This commission shall study the hard situation not only in Gldani prison # 8 but in the entire penitentiary system.

The penitentiary system shall immediately become subject of permanent monitoring of human rights organizations as it was recommended by the European Parliament to the government of Georgia in 2011; and the government shall implement this recommendation.

If the government refuses to satisfy our requests, it will be evident that everything happened in the penitentiary system with direct participation and encouragement of the government and the latter does not wish to eradicate this problem.

Human Rights Center
19.09.12